Waterfront homes: Jersey home offers quick access to Barnegat Bay and the Atlantic

“A year-round home with lots of space inside and out for family and friends” is how Nikki Joffe describes the waterfront house she and her husband, Michael, own in Toms River, New Jersey. The couple purchased the four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath ranch in 2006 because it was near the beach, offered quick boat access to Barnegat Bay and had a mother-in-law suite.

Now their sons have grown and Nikki’s mother-in-law has passed, so they want to downsize but stay in the area. Their 75-by-100-foot property, which has an attached oversized garage, pool, 75 feet of vinyl bulkheaded lagoon frontage and a dock with water and power, is on the market for $487,500.

Steps lead from the parking area to the upper-level front porch, which opens into the great room. The living area has a hardwood floor, gas-burning fireplace and views of the lagoon. A granite-topped island with seating buffers the recently remodeled U-shaped kitchen in a waterfront corner.

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The kitchen’s engineered bamboo flooring complements the white-painted cabinets, tile backsplash and stainless steel appliances, which include a gas range. The adjacent dining area’s sliding glass doors open to the fenced composite upper deck, which has a retractable awning.

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One carpeted bedroom and full bath occupy the wing left of the great room, above the garage. On the other side of the house, three bedrooms, one with mirrored closet doors, share a full bath with a double vanity. Two of the bedrooms overlook the lagoon.

“We celebrate all the holidays in our downstairs family room,” says Nikki Joffe, who is 59 and works in a medical office. “We’ve had 50 people, yet it never seems crowded.” The open room contains living and dining areas, a sunroom and a full kitchen with maple cabinetry and appliances that include an electric range, washer and dryer. The wet bar seats at least six, as does the dining table.

Window walls and sliding glass doors open the tile-floored sunroom to the waterfront. The composite lower deck, graveled patio with fire pit, above-ground pool, outdoor shower and dock sitting area “are great for summer entertaining,” Joffe says. An underground sprinkler system irrigates the landscaping.

The Joffes dock their 21-foot Striper near the dock’s seating area. It’s only a three-minute cruise to protected Goose Creek Cove, 10 minutes to Barnegat Bay and 45 minutes to open ocean, says Michael Joffe, a 60-year old chiropractor. They go crabbing and fishing, enjoy the beaches or dine at waterfront restaurants.

The vinyl-sided home, on a cinderblock foundation, has central air conditioning and two-zone baseboard heat from a gas-fired furnace. Pull-down stairs access the attic. Taxes are about $7,000. The neighborhood of mostly year-round residences is 5 miles from downtown Toms River (population about 92,000), which has restaurants, shops, services and amenities. The Garden State Parkway is about 2 miles west.

“I’m going to miss this comfortable house,” says Nikki Joffe, “but we’ll stay in the area in a smaller home.”